Turbine-generator support



' June 4, 1929., F. HODGKINSON 1,716,132

TURBINE GENERATOR SUPPORT Filed Oct. 30, 1926 1 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 F.Hodgkinidn WITNESSES: INVENTOR k XI BY @flK/Ewg ATTORNEY June 4, 1929. omso 1,716,132

TURBINE GENERATOR SUPPORT Filed Oct. 50, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.6.

. F. Hoclgk'u'lson. WITNESSES: INVENTOR BY $65M ATTORNEY Jung 4, 1929.F. HODGKINSON 1,716,132

TURBINE GENERATOR SUPPORT Filed Oct. 30, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 F-Hod.Kinson WITNESSES: lNV NTOR I I Mam ATTORNEY FigJO; I

Patented June 4, 1929.

QUNITEDI STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS HODGKINSON, OF SWARTHMORE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO' WESTING1HOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

TURBINE-GENERATOR SUPPORT.

Application filed October 30, 1926. Serial No. 145,262.

due to unequal expansion caused by tempera ture changes are minimized.

In power plants of the character deslgnated, the ditficulties due tounequal expansion of the parts are greatly increased as a result of thehigher temperatures and consequently greater temperature changes. Suchunequal expansion causes misalignment of the shafts of the prime moverand of the driven machine. Distortion and unbalance of the turbine mayalso result from unequal expansion of the parts of the turbine casingand support.

These and other. difliculties are overcome by my invention wherein Iutilize the exhaust conduit to support the turbine and driven machine.All parts of the support are thus maintained atthe same temperature andexpand uniformly. I

Apparatus embodying features of my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which Fig.1 is a side elevation of one embodiment in which the exhaust conduitssupport both the turbine and the generator;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the exhaust conduit support;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the exhaust conduit support;

Fig. 4 is an end view showing the generator end of the power plant unit;I

. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modified form in which the exhaustconduit supports the generator bearings, thegenerator stator beingsupported directly upon the foundation;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the apparatus" shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is an end view of the form shown in Fig. 5 and showing also thesupport for the generator stator; 1

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a further modi- Fig. 10 is an end View ofthe form shown in Fig. 8, the bearing housing being shown in section;and

11 is a detail view of a seating for the exhaust conduit as seen from.line XI-XI ofFi 3.

, Rei'erring to the drawing more in detail, 10 indicates a high pressureturbine which receives steam or other motive fluid at a high pressure,such as 1000 or 1200 pounds per square inch, and exhausts the steam at apressure suitable for use in another turbine, as, for example, 400pounds per square inch, or for any other'purpose. The high pressureturbine has an inlet 10 and an exhaust outlet 11 communicating WithaT-fitting 12 forming part of the supporting conduit. This T- fittindivides the exhaust line into two branc cs 13 and 14. The branch 13 isextended upwardly and downwardly at 15 to support t The branch 14 isfurther divided b a T-fitextend upwardly and downwardly, as indie highpressure end of the turbine.

cated at 16 and 17 respectively, to form supports for the generator. Thebranches 16 and 17 are then carried in the opposite direction and joinedto branch 13 by a cross fitting 18 from where all the exhaust steam iscarried to a lower pressure turbine or other machine.

The branch 14 is anchored to the foundation 19 as shown at 20, forming afixed support. Branch 13 is supported by a foot 21- sliding on seating21 and the branches 16 and 17 are supported by feet 22' and 23' slidingon seatings 22 and 23. The seatings, as

shown in detail in Fig. 11, have guides 60 on opposite sides, therebypreventing lateral movement but permitting longitudinal slidingmovement. The guides 60 have flanges 61 extending inwardly over the feetto prevent lifting thereof. I I v The elevated portion 15 of the branch13 has a seating 24 provided with lateralguidesfor supporting foot 24 ofthe high pressure end of the turbine, permitting longitudinal movementbut preventing lateral movement.

The branches 16 and 17 are provided at their uppermost pdrtions withenlargements 25 and 26, forming seats for the generator 27, which haslaterally projecting arms 28 seating upo the enlargements 25 and26.

The operation of this form of my invention is as follows: 1

Upon beginning operation of the turbogenerator unit, the high pressuresteam flowing through the turbine and exhaust conduit will causeexpansion thereof. The exhaust conduits will then expand longitudinallyand this movement is permitted by the seatings 21, 22 and 23, all suchmovement being away from the anchored support 20. As the turblne issubjected to a higher temperature than the exhaust conduit it willexpand at a greater rate and relative movement caused by this expansionis permitted by the foot 24 sliding on seating 24. All parts of theexhaust conduit will be subjected to substantially the same temperatureand will therefore expand uniformly, both horizontally and vertically.

Thus the vertical expansion of the supporting parts 11, 12, 15, 16 and17 will be uniform and the shafts of the turbine and gen- I erator willbe raised uniformly and in alignment.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5, 6 and f the bearings and rotoruniformly with the turbine. In this modification, the turbine 10 issimilarly provided with an exhaust outlet-11 communicating with aT-fitting 12, which, in this case, is anchored to the foundati'0n at 28.The T-fitting 12 divides the steam into two branches 13 and 14, thebranch 13 having the elevated portion 15 as in the first form. Thebranch 14, however, has two raised portions 29 and 30 which carry thebearings 31 and 32'of the generator. The

branch 14 is provided with feet 52. and 53, sliding on seatings 52 and53, and a T-fitting 33 at the end thereof is provlded with a foot 54sliding on seating 54. The exhaust steam from-branch 14 is dividedby'theT-fitting 33 and passed to two branches 34 and 35 which ,'join thebranch 13 at a cross-fitting 36, from whence the steam is carried to alower pressure turbine. The a generator stator 37 is rigidly supported uon the foundation 19 by two supports 38 and 39 which may straddle thebranches 34 and 35 as shown in Fig. 7

g In this form of the invention, upon beginning operation, the exhaustconduit will expand uniformly, and will uniformly raise the turbinecasing and the generator bearings,

thereby raising the shafts uniformly and malntalmng their alignment. Itis not necessary to maintain exactalignment between the bearings and thestator of the generator as the clearance between the rotor and thestator is suflicient to allow for relative movement caused by expansionof the bearing support.

The third form ofrthe invention is shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10. In thisform,- the turbine 10 is supported as before at its exhaust ,end by theT-fitting 12 anchored at 28 and at its high pressure end by the raisedportion 15 of the branch 13. The branch 14 is further divided into twobranches 41 :and.42. These branches 41 and*42 have raised portions 55and '56 supporting the bearings 46 and 47.

The exhaust steam is then. carried to the crossfitting 43 by conduits 44and 45 which may be located beneath the surface of the foundation 19.Each of the bearings 46 and 47 has laterally projecting arms 48 and 49'which fit upon the branches 41 and 42, respectively.

In orderyto avoid excessive heating of the bearings by the exhaustconduit, the housings may be provided with water cooling chambers 50having inlets 57 and outlets 58. A lubricating oil chamber 51 may belocated between tlfe Water cooling chambers 50.

The operation of this form of the invention is similar to that of theprevious form, as will be apparent.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have provided asupport which is rigidly anchored to the foundation, yet free to expandaxially, but with restrained lateral movement so that the -alignment oroperation of the machine will be unaffected by variations of temperaturein the exhaust piping or strains and stresses upon the same induced bytemperature changes or other causes in external portions of saidexhaustpiping.

While I have shown my invention in but three forms, it will be obviousto those skilled in the art that it isnot so limited, but is susceptibleof various other changes and modifications, without departing from thespirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitationsshall be placed thereupon as are imposed b the prior art or asarespecifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1 1. In a power plant, the elastic fluid turbine, a machine driven bythe turbine, an exhaust conduit fortheturbine, and cooperatingsupporting means between the exhaust conduit and both the turbine andthe driven machine.

2. In a ower plant, the combination of an elastic uid turbine, a machinedriven by the turbine, an exhaust conduit for the turbine, and means forsupporting both the turcombination of an bine and the driven machinefrom the exhaust conduit. l

3. In a power plant, the combination of .the exhaust conduit and boththe turbine and the driven machine, a foundation, means for fixedlysecuring the exhaust conduit to the foundation at one point, and meanspermitting relative longitudinal movement between the exhust conduit andthe foundation upon expansion of the conduit away from said point.

4. In a power plant, the combination of an elastic fluid turbine, amachine driven by the turbine, an exhaust conduit for the turbine,cooperating supporting means between the exhaust conduit and both theturbine and the driven machine, means for fixedly securing the turbineto the exhaust conduit at one point, means permitting relativelongitudinal movement only between the turbine and the exhaust conduitaway fromand toward said fixed point, a foundation, means for fixedlysecuring the exhaust conduit to the foundation at one point, and meanspermitting longitudinal expansion only away from said point. p

5. In a power plant, the combination of an elastic fluid turbine, amachine driven by the turbine, an exhaust conduit for the turbine, meansfor supporting both the turbine and the driven machine from the exhaustconduit, a foundation, means for fixedly securing the exhaust conduit tothe foundation at one point, and means permitting relative longitudinalmovement between the exhaust conduit and the foundation upon expansionof the conduit away from said point.

6. In a power plant, the combination of an elastic fluid turbine, amachine driven by the turbine, an exhaust conduit for the turbine, meansfor supporting both the turbine and the driven machine from the'exhaustconduit, means for fixedly securing the turbine to the exhaust conduitat one point, means permitting relative longitudinal movement onlybetween the turbine and the exhaust conduit away from said fixed point,a foundation, means for fixedly securing the exhaust conduit to thefoundation at one point, and means permitting longitudinal expansiononly away from saidpoint.

7 In a power plant, the combination of an elastic fluid turbine, amachine driven by the turbine, said turbine and said driven machinehaving their rotational axes in the same horizontal plane, an exhaustpipe for i the turbine extending longitudinally of the turbine and thegenerator, a foundation, means for supporting the exhaust pipe from thefoundation, and means for supporting both the turbine and'the drivenmachine from the exhaust pipe.

8. In a power plant, the combination of an elastic fluid turbine, amachine driven by the turbine, said turbine and said driven machinehaving their rotational axes in thesame horizontal plane, an exhaustpipe for the turbine extending longitudinally of the turbine and thedriven machine, a foundation, means for fixedly securing the exhaustpipe to the foundation at one point, cooperating guide members arrangedbetween the exhaust pipe and the foundation at other points permittingrelative longitudinal movement only between the exhaust' pipe and thefoundation away from said fixed points upon expansion of the exhaustpipe, and lneans for supporting both the turbine'and the driven machinefrom the exhaustpipe 9. In a power plant, the combination of an elasticfluid turbine, a machine driven by the turbine, said turbine and said.driven mapipe, other supporting means cooperating between the turbineand the exhaust pipe and permitting relative longitudinal movement onlytherebetween upon expansion of either, and means for supportin thedriven machine from the exhaust pipe, whereby the rotational axes 'ofthe turbine and the drivenmachine are maintained in the same horizontalplane. Y

10. In a power plant, the combination of an elastic fluid turbine, amachine .driven by the turbine, said turbine and said driven machinehaving their rotational axes in the same horizontal plane, an exhaustpipe for the turbine extending longitudinally of the turbine and thedriven machine, a foundation, means for fixedly securing the exhaustpipe to the foundation at one point, cooperating guide members arrangedbetween the exhaust pipe and the foundation at other points permittinglongitudinal movement only between the exhaust pipe and the foundationaway from and toward said fixed point, means for fixedly supporting thedriven machine on the'exhaust pipe at at least one point, means forfixedly supporting the turbine on the exhaust pipe at one point, andcooperating guide members arranged between the turbine and the exhaustpipe at another point permitting relative longitudinal movement onlytherebetween. v

11. In a power plant, the combination of an elastic fluid turbine, amachine driven by theturbine, an exhaust pipe for the/turbine extendinglongitudinally underneath the'turbine and fixedly secured to the turbineat its exhaust end, supporting the turbine and a pair of branchesprovided on the exhaust pipe and supporting the driven machine.

12. In a power plant, the combination of an elastic fluid turbine, amachine having a bearing supporting a shaft driven by the turbine, anexhaust conduit for the turbine,

and means for supporting the turbine and the hearing from the exhaustconduit.

13. In a power plant, the combination of an elastic fluid'turbine, adriven machine having a bearingsupporting a shaft driven by the turbine,an exhaust conduit for the turbine, said exhaust conduit having portionsextending pwardly and the bearings. I

14:. In a power plant, the combination of an elastic fluid turbinehaving a rotating shaft, a driven machine having a bearing supporting arotating shaft in the same horizontal plane as the first-mentionedshaft, a support having upwardly extending portions to support theshafts, and means for sub- FRANCIS HQDGKINSON.

to support the turbine I 25 jecting said upwardl extending portions to eexhaust motive fluid

